TS18: Western Wonders!

Written by: Gary Dolzall.

Now available, Train Simulator’s Salt Lake City Extension delivers new railroading experiences in the American West!

Train Simulator’s Soldier Summit route, released in 2015, has been a highly popular and best-selling U. S. route – and now the Salt Lake City Extension adds new railroading challenges and experiences in the great and rugged American West!

Set in the early-to-mid 1980s and featuring Denver & Rio Grande Western freight and Amtrak passenger operations, the Salt Lake City Extension adds 44 additional mainline miles (with the new segment extending west from Provo, Utah to Salt Lake City) to the Soldier Summit route, providing a total of 118 miles of Western railroading extending from Helper to Salt Lake City!

The new Train Simulator Salt Lake City Extension takes you to the Utah and Salt Lake valleys, with the towering Wasatch Range to the east and the Oquirrh Mountains to the west. Together with the Soldier Summit route, the new extension represents the complete Sixth Subdivision of the Rio Grande’s legendary Utah Division.

Here is just a sampling of the captivating features of the new Salt Lake City Extension:

Classic Stations: The Train Simulator Salt Lake City Extension includes two landmark Salt Lake City railroad stations – the Union Pacific depot, a towering station constructed in 1908 in French Second Empire style, and the Rio Grande’s own Salt Lake City Station, a large and beautiful structure built in 1910 at a cost of $750,000. During the Amtrak era, the UP depot hosted Amtrak trains from 1977 through 1986, while the D&RGW was home to Amtrak’s California Zephyr from 1986 through 1999.

Geneva Steel Works: West of Provo, at Vineyard, Utah and snug along the D&RGW main line is a landmark of American heavy industry – the sprawling Geneva Steel Works. Constructed with U. S. funding to provide steel capacity during World War II, the plant was opened in 1944 and operated by the United States until 1946, when it was sold to U. S. Steel. A fully integrated steel plant, the Geneva Works was the largest steel producing facility west of the Mississippi River and represented a remarkable source of inbound and outbound tonnage for the D&RGW.

Rail Yards: Along with Provo’s busy yard complex, the new Train Simulator extension features rail yard facilities at the Geneva Steel Works, Midvale (junction point with D&RGW’s Bingham Branch), and Roper, Utah. Located on the southern outskirts of Salt Lake City, D&RGW’s sprawling Roper Yard was opened in 1928, boasted a freight car capacity of more than 2,100 freight cars, and was a key to D&RGW interchange with the Union Pacific and Western Pacific.

Jordon Narrows: On its path through the Utah and Salt Lake valleys, the D&RGW curls through the rugged Jordon Narrows and aside the twisting path of the Jordon River.

Now’s the perfect time to climb aboard potent D&RGW freight power and Amtrak’s sleek California Zephyr and experience unforgettable Western U. S. railroading! The Salt Lake City Extension includes seven freight and passenger career scenarios (utilizing equipment provided with the Soldier Summit route, including the D&RGW EMD SD40T-2 and GP9 and Amtrak’s F40PH with Superliners), along with two new railfan scenarios, and is Quick Drive enabled.

The Train Simulator Salt Lake City Extension is available now, at the Steam and Dovetail Games stores, as a stand-alone purchase for existing owners of the popular Soldier Summit route, and in an attractive bundled offer to new buyers. – Gary Dolzall

Rio Grande and Amtrak railroading in the Utah and Salt Lake valleys awaits you with Train Simulator’s new Salt Lake City Extension for the popular Soldier Summit route! Set in the 1980s, the Salt Lake City Extension features 44 new mainline miles extending west from Provo, Utah to Salt Lake City. With the massive Geneva Steel Works looming in the distance, D&RGW EMD SD40T-2s are rolling west bound for Salt Lake City. Screenshots by Gary Dolzall.

Salt Lake City was home to two classic railroad stations – and Train Simulator’s Salt Lake City Extension beautifully recreates both! Rio Grande’s Salt Lake City Station (above and below), a large and magnificent structure, was built in 1910. During the Amtrak era, the D&RGW station was home to Amtrak’s California Zephyr from 1986 through 1999, and in the pre-Amtrak era it hosted the famed WP-D&RGW-CB&Q California Zephyr and D&RGW’s Rio Grande Zephyr. Note: Screenshots may depict content still in development.

Union Pacific’s Salt Lake City depot (above), a towering ediface constructed in French Second Empire style, was built in 1908. During the Amtrak era, the Union Pacific Salt Lake City depot hosted Amtrak trains from 1977 through 1986.

On the new Train Simulator Salt Lake City Extension west of Provo, Rio Grande GP9s handle switching duties at the sprawling Geneva Steel Works (above and below). A fully integrated steel plant, the famed Geneva Works opened in 1944 and was the largest steel producing facility west of the Mississippi River. The facility represented a remarkable source of tonnage for the D&RGW including inbound ore, limestone, dolomite, and coal, as well as outbound steel sheets and pipes.

Located on the southern outskirts of Salt Lake City, D&RGW’s Roper Yard boasted a freight car capacity of more than 2,100 freight cars and was a key to D&RGW interchange with the Union Pacific and Western Pacific. A trio of D&RGW SD40T-2 are just arriving at Roper from the east with a manifest freight (above), while at the Roper engine terminal, a Rio Grande GP9 and SD40T-2s congregate (below).

The now-available Train Simulator Salt Lake City Extension includes multiple busy yard facilities. The sun is just beginning to rise at Salt Lake City’s Roper Yard as a duo of D&RGW SD40T-2s pull tonnage eastbound (above). Further east, a trio of Rio Grande EMDs roll past Midvale Yard (below), which served as an important point for local operations.

On its path between Provo and Salt Lake City via the Utah and Salt Lake valleys, the D&RGW main line utilized the rugged and scenic Jordon Narrows. Amtrak Train 6 – the eastbound California Zephyr – is topping the grade at the Narrows on a wintry day (above), while on a summer afternoon, a westbound Rio Grande freight is gliding along the Jordon River (below).

The new Train Simulator Salt Lake City Extension, combined with the popular and best-selling Soldier Summit route, delivers a total of 118 miles of captivating and challenging Western freight and passenger railroading – and it’s now available at the Steam and Dovetail Games Stores!

Screenshots and images displayed in this article may depict content that is still in development. The licensed brands may not have been approved by their respective owner and some artwork may still be pending approval.